My Revision Process, As Illustrated by Megamind GIFs

4:44 PM

Hello everyone!

So, way back just a month or two ago, I did my very first blog post, My Novel Writing Process, As Illustrated by Fandom GIFS. This remains my most popular post, and I had heaps of fun writing it, and I had absolutely no idea what else to do today I thought it would be fun to do a follow-up, in honor of my finishing NaNo yesterday! (and yes, I'm absolutely exhausted. 5k a day is way too much for me.)

So, without further ado, my revision process, as illustrated by GIFs from my most favorite movie of all time, Megamind. If you haven't seen this movie, I can't help you.

Step 1: Reading through the story
So, the document has been sitting aside for a month or two, the usual period I give it before I start revising. And then the time comes for me to open the document and it's immediately like:

WHAT.

SPELLING ERRORS. SPELLING ERRORS EVERYWHERE.

This had to fit in here somewhere, so yeah.

Cautiously, horrified, I move on to...

Step 2: Addressing plot holes

BUT THIS MAKES NO SENSE.

This is probably my least favorite part. I mean, making sense of a convoluted, 80k+ long manuscript?

So. Overwhelming.

Step 3: Dealing with stubborn characters

I'll just leave this one to the GIFs.

Why don't they listennnnn

Sorry, adorable side character.

Sometimes, the MC really DOES know what they're doing.

I TRIED TO CUT YOU OUT BUT HONESTLY

BUT YOU'RE MY VILLAIN

Ahem. Anyway.

Step 4: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. AND REWRITING IT. AGAIN.

Goodbye, plot I loved before.

I'm so done.

Step 5: Emotional breakdown

Because nothing is working and I would rather be doing anything but writing.

Step 6: Line edits

Who even gets to that stage still sane?

I'm doing this right now, and to put it plainly, well, I can't even. Spelling? Grammar? Sentence structure? Agonizing hours of going through each chapter? NO THANK YOU.

Step 7: Rewrite. Again. And again. And again.

*sigh*

Basically, revising sucks, and the only way I could think of making it amusing was Megamind, because...

7
comments

Oh. my. gosh. This is the best revision post I've ever seen. XD I love Megamind, of course, but I'm glad you put a good spin on the drudgery of revisions. I'm up to my elbows in revisions now—so that's for making me laugh. But really: I've never seen a description of editing so accurate.

I agree with each and every comment posted above. I too love Megamind, and I honestly cannot think of a better way to have presented the revision process. Every GIF was SO PERFECT. Yes, Aimee. Just... yes. ;)

I haven't seen the movie but this is really funny anyway lol. I actually like rewriting (at least the first time) because it usually sounds so much better. After the second or third time it starts getting old lol. XD